


Over The Dream

by Aenya



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Alternate Universe - Idols, Alternate Universe - Music, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Humor, Light Angst, Multi, Relationship(s), Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-05-20
Packaged: 2018-03-12 04:58:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3344456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aenya/pseuds/Aenya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In hindsight, Makoto should have known this would be the outcome, but he may not have been entirely honest with himself when he somehow became convinced indulging Nagisa this one time would be the end of it.</p><p>Looking back, though, he would point to that exact day as the one which:</p><p>A) Ultimately? Threw their lives into a complete and utter chaos, and</p><p>B) Set something in motion that they would never, not even in their wildest dreams, have dared to expect to happen.</p><p> <br/>Also known as: The boyband/band/music/idol/model/celebrity AU nobody (except me) wanted. </p><p>FIC TEMPORARILY ON HIATUS, and future chapters are being reworked! Blame Kisumi, he threw a wrench into the plot...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Great Nostalgia

“Ree-EEEEE-eeeiiiii-chaaaAAAaaann!”

It wasn't the first time the sound of Nagisa’s voice carried down the school corridor—resulting in Rei’s complexion suddenly acquiring a shade a touch more vibrant than his usual—but this time… something ominous clung to the way his name was practically sung by his classmate as he raced towards him, barely avoiding the people who had just begun filing out of their classrooms for lunch break. Instinct told him that this would be a great moment to, simply put, run for it. He’d only been friends with Nagisa for almost two years now and while that may not seem like that long a period of time, it was more than enough to allow Rei to distinguish between most of the types of mischief Nagisa was prone to causing.

It was impossible to learn them ALL, of course; Nagisa’s mayhem supply was simply inexhaustible and he was never short on ridiculous ideas. Rei had learned this fairly quickly and never quite managed to keep up the tempo of updating his library of information to match the speed with which Nagisa came up with new ways to turn their days upside down. Sadly, just having a database to rely on never seemed to be enough to at least mitigate the damage to Rei’s dignity from all the antics he was forced to take part in.

This particular type of calling his name in a sing-song fashion was innocent enough in its playful tone, so much so that anyone else would have mistaken its aim for simply causing embarrassment. Even worse, if just the shout wasn't enough - Nagisa was frantically waving at him something that looked like a colorful announcement poster. Warning lights continued blinking in Rei’s psyche as he took mental inventory of all his Nagisa-related files, quickly settling on _‘Item 14.1 - Coercion into group activity.’_ This, at least, he could handle, as the chances of only him being dragged into whatever it was about were slim, or his friend’s excitement wouldn't be this exuberant already.

“Nagisa-kun!” Rei began as the boy finally nearly barreled into him and clung to the sleeve of his uniform, catching his breath. “Is this kind of embarrassing greeting really necessary?! And why did you miss the previous period anyway? Please don’t tell me that, for whatever reason, you expect me to approve of your lax attitude and behav-“

“Never mind that, Rei-chan! Look! Look!” Nagisa interrupted, jumping up and nearly knocking off Rei’s glasses with the overly energetic way he shoved the poster in his face. Before Rei even had the chance to read a single word, Nagisa grabbed him by the elbow and tugged him back inside the now-deserted classroom he’d just left moments prior. Practically vibrating with excess energy and excitement, he shoved Rei into the nearest chair and slammed his hands on the desk, leaning over him while he finally accepted that no further conversation with Nagisa would take place before he familiarized himself with the contents of the sheet of paper in his hands.

Annoyance manifesting itself with a disgruntled expression, Rei attempted to compose himself, absent-mindedly pushing his glasses farther up his nose as his eyes scanned the poster. He didn't need to look at it too closely to make up his mind immediately - it was decidedly _Not Beautiful_ , the colors a garish mix of vibrant orange and green hues and a horrifically misspelled giant “RETURNSU FESSTU!!!” in offensive shades of pink and red on top of the page. Whoever came up with this abomination was clearly aiming to forcibly capture attention of any passerby; well, the goal was achieved one hundred percent. It would be impossible to not notice this poster, probably even from a considerable distance. Eyebrow twitching and eyes watering from the onslaught of color Rei looked up, unable to read the slew of information practically crammed in much smaller letters into the remaining space on the paper.

“Nagisa-kun… What exactly is this about?”

“The school, Rei-chan! The school! They've reopened it! And they’re throwing a mini-festival!”

“Wh- I don’t-“ His eyes quickly raked the poster again as he tried to absorb as much detail as he could before he’d suffer irreparable damage to his eyesight from the offending mix of colors. “Oh, I see, it’s the music school you and-“

“Yep! It’s where I met Haru-chan and Mako-chan! We spent a lot of time there as kids!”

“Yes Nagisa-kun, I know, but I don’t understand what this has to do with me?”

“Reeeei-chaan, read it properly! They’re throwing a mini-festival-celebration-thing just after the start of winter break, and, get this.” He pointed to a spot on the poster which curiously escaped Rei’s attention before: there was a crude drawing of what looked like a trophy cup with “Talento Fighto!!!” superimposed over it in a purple, obviously handwritten, font. “There’s a competition, with prizes!”

“Yes, it’s great to see that they’re going to open their doors again, Nagisa-kun… But I still don’t see why this is anything I should concern myself with?”

“Rrrreeeiii-chaaaannn…” This time the drawn out nickname sounded like something between a groan and a sigh.

“We. Should. Join. It. The contest, the music part of the competition! It will be fun!”

The impending sense of dread solidified itself in Rei’s mind, all the warning lights blazing bright red and alarms sounding at their highest intensity, signifying the need for caution and careful sidestepping of Nagisa’s attempts to drag him into this ridiculous idea.

“Nagisa-kun… I will be the first person to admit that rarely, but sometimes, though ridiculous at first sight, your ideas occasionally do have some merit to them…” He began very carefully and slowly, trying to soften the blow as he pushed his glasses farther up his nose. “I am, well, flattered that you would think it appropriate for me, for us, to display our skill in this competition… However you are forgetting that since this is scheduled to happen right after the start of winter break and right before Christmas, this gives us only a couple of weeks to prepare something _and_ this time would also fall right on top of our end-of-term exams _and_ the studying period required for them. This simply won’t do. I am afraid that I have to decline, on principle.”

Rei had been prepared for almost anything at that point, an explosion of whining, an avalanche of pleading, an upset expression paired with a whole lot of flailing and further questioning… What he was utterly _not_ prepared for was the way Nagisa pushed himself off the desk and folded his hands behind his back, leaning in and tilting his head, parting his lips slightly with an utterly bewildered and confused look. The next words that came out of his mouth shocked Rei even further.

“Eh? But… I thought that you, of all people… Rei-chan?… You don’t want to play and perform with Haru-chan?”

 

 

 _Hook, line and sinker!_ \- Nagisa thought to himself triumphantly as he struggled to recompose his face again into nothing but confused curiosity. It was a stroke of luck that Rei completely _froze_ in shock as soon as Nagisa asked his question. His eyes momentarily flitted to the poster he still held in his hand and he missed the minuscule period of time in which Nagisa’s expression involuntarily slipped into an absolutely devilish glee.

Nagisa knew very well that he pushed the one and only button he needed to. Of course some additional convincing was probably going to be necessary, but honestly, it would only be for show, just so Rei-chan could have the room to make a spectacle of faking reluctance and only agreeing after what he deemed to be an acceptable period of resistance.

Nagisa knew the game well; they played it time and time again after all, even though frequently Rei-chan wasn't really faking and honestly didn't want to join in the fun. But all is well that ends well, right?! Or, as well as it ended up ending?… They had fun together! Even if Rei-chan would rather be dragged across hot coals than openly admit it. Well, sometimes Rei-chan would probably rather be paraded naked through town later (a decidedly Not Beautiful activity) than once again give into the persistent cajoling to whatever thing was on the menu. But this time… This time Nagisa truly _had him_. Rei had been trying to get closer to Haru-chan for well over a year now with some success, but the one thing he hadn't so far managed, well... Nagisa had just dangled it right over his head.

 

 

The first time Ryuugazaki Rei heard Nanase Haruka playing _his_ music was at a prefecture-wide contest near the start of his second year of middle school. He didn't know why he had asked to stay and watch the finals for that particular section. He could've wandered the unfamiliar big city with his mother while waiting for the results of his own piano competition instead. Later on, even though he did not quite believe in such an unrealistic thing as “fate,” he would think there must have been _something_ that pulled him into the audience that day.

Of course violin, in his opinion, was decidedly much less Beautiful than his own precious piano, but even he could appreciate a well-played part. All the competitors in the finals were limited to ten minutes each and Rei had slowly begun regretting spending the past hour listening to what could at best be described as mediocre performances. He didn't really know what he was expecting at a middle school level competition, and had been considering asking his mother to leave during a short pause as the audience politely applauded a leaving performer, when a girl’s name had been announced and called to the stage - except it was a fairly ordinary-looking boy who looked to be around his age, maybe a little bit older, with dark hair.

Rei felt an instant connection to Haruka - a boy with a girly name, just as him! He tried to muster some enthusiasm but immediately curbed it when he realized that even from a distance this Haruka seemed to have a slightly disgruntled expression, as if he didn't really want to be there. Once again, not expecting anything out of the ordinary, Rei sighed softly and decided to stick it out through at least one more act, as it would be rude to leave after he’d start playing.

The next thing he’d noticed, though, as Haruka politely inclined his head to the audience in a half bow and raised his violin to his shoulder, was that he had no music stand or any note sheets at all to speak of. This wasn't particularly unusual or unheard of, but not at all a frequent sight at competitions of this or even slightly higher levels, especially not with violinists. Somewhat intrigued despite his skepticism Rei tilted his head slightly and raised his eyebrows as soon as Haruka closed his eyes, and just like that started to play something that Rei could have _sworn_ he knew.

It started slowly and softly without too much fanfare, then the melody actually began to somehow make less sense for a few bars, before shifting again to something he must have heard somewhere before; it sounded unnervingly familiar. It continued like that a few more times and Rei couldn't for the life of him place the tune, though he could easily tell that Haruka had an obvious overabundance of skill and talent; technique-wise he easily outclassed what Rei had heard from his competition so far.

Soon enough the melody shifted to something more upbeat and left Rei even more bewildered, because by this point he simply _knew_ he must have played it or at least heard it before! He looked around and saw that more than a few people who obviously knew classical music and even the judges in their seats up front were glancing at each other in some confusion. They obviously had at least the title of the piece for whatever Haruka was skillfully playing, if not the note sheets. And then the melody shifted again and picked up speed considerably and it _clicked_ and it was all Rei could do to clamp down on his flurry of emotion as his eyes widened.

He didn't really know whether to be outraged or impressed or perhaps something in the middle, because he could now tell that Haruka was playing a sonata, one of Beethoven’s, Rei thought, but couldn't actually name the piece from memory. But rather than just play the violin part, this Nanase was cheekily playing both the part for violin _and_ the piano the sonata was written for, switching seemingly randomly between both of the melodic lines whenever he apparently felt like it. Rei thought he should feel outraged, and in some capacity he probably did.

And yet it all flowed together magnificently and Haruka still had not opened his eyes once, playing the entire thing from memory without a single misplaced sound, even when he did the jumps between the two originally intended instruments and adapted it all only for the violin. To Rei it truly felt as if he was just making it up on the spot, remembering both the parts of the piece and choosing which one to play however he felt it should go. But that was preposterous and impossible, wasn't it?

From a couple exhalations around him and some nodding Rei could tell that other people had also caught on and realized what was happening, and it was all he could do to not stand up and storm out. Or maybe get closer in some fashion to hear better? He couldn't decide, because there was no way this… this… unorthodox and almost sacrilegious “interpretation” could be so… so enchanting and captivating! It went against all logic and reason; he’d never heard anything like it before, never would have even dreamed of attempting it, not because he couldn't, but because he truly thought the only proper interpretation of any given piece was exactly within the scope of what the composer had written down! Precisely how they intended their work to be played!

He couldn't wrap his head around what he was hearing, not one bit, and he felt almost punch-drunk by the time Haruka finished and he found himself applauding loudly with the rest of the audience as the boy gave a curt bow once again, absolutely unperturbed by the obviously enthusiastic reaction to his music. In the end Rei was absolutely unsurprised by the fact both himself and Haruka had ended up on the same stage again that evening, this time holding their respective first place trophies and posing for commemorative photos.

He thought this would not be the last time he’d see this strange and yet immensely talented boy. He would definitely remember his name, just in case he would end up running into him in some other joint competition or see a mention in a local newspaper or website somewhere. Neither of those things happened since that particular day, though; Haruka had never been heard of again and Rei could not for the life of him understand why he felt a pang of disappointment whenever he skimmed through the violinist section at competitions he attended and never saw even a single mention him.

At least, this was the case until he entered High School.

It had been over two years until he once again heard Haruka play his violin, in the most unexpected circumstance. Rei knew that the school’s entrance ceremony would be a long and relatively dull affair, but he dutifully attended as any proper student should and even paid attention to the lengthy speeches and announcements and descriptions of what school life at the Iwatobi High School could and would entail. He even raised an eyebrow in mild interest as the principal announced that before the students would disperse to their assigned classrooms, they would listen to a short performance prepared by “the school’s choir, music club, and friends”.

Perhaps it was just that Rei had been so captivated with him before, but it wasn't difficult for him to immediately spot Haruka off to the side with the rest of the relatively small instrumental section, even though he was a head shorter than the rather massive cellist beside him. Rei thought he may have for a moment hidden behind the larger boy on purpose, as if to not draw attention to himself. If that was even possible, Haruka seemed to look even more disgruntled than the last time Rei had seen him.

The performance itself was nothing special, though definitely easy on the ears—both the choir and the music club were full of skilled students. His eyes, however, were on Haruka the entire time, and now that he knew he attended this school and was obviously his senpai, nothing but excitement for an otherwise uneventful academic year coursed through him. He simply _had to_ at least talk to him, at least once; maybe he could play or perform together with him! He would definitely find that Most Beautiful.

A few weeks after the start of the school year, after the initial flurry of activity for various club recruitment schemes had died down, Rei made his way to the music club’s designated classroom after classes had ended, perhaps not to join but at least have the chance to meet with Haruka. It was there, on that day, that he met Nagisa. Or rather, Nagisa had met him as Rei rather embarrassingly caught his attention by raising his voice (he refused to admit that he had shouted) at the senpai who answered his inquiry at the club’s door.

“What do you _mean_ there is no Nanase Haruka in the music club?!”

“That’s exactly what I mean. We have no member by the name of ‘Nanase Haruka’ in the club, and we never have.” The boy had answered him with a somewhat perplexed expression.

“Wait, hold on senpai!” Another boy had come up to the door from the inside. “Isn't that one of the guys who helped out with the opening ceremony on short notice? Either the cellist or the violinist? They both had girly names, that’s why I remember them, wasn't one of them called Haruka?”

“Hey there! What’s this about Haru-chan? Why are you asking about Haru-chan? I heard you shouting his name from alllll the way from the other end of the corridor!” A voice from behind Rei had announced with a cheerful tone. A boy with blond hair stood there and smiled up at him with a disarming grin and a curiously mischievous sparkle in his eyes. Rei thought he recognized him from another class in his year.

“Ah, well, yes… I apologize, I shouldn't have raised my voice. I am simply looking for him. I thought I would find him at the music club.” He inclined his head towards the two senpais in the classroom doorway. “My apologies for disturbing your club activities, thank you for the information, I will not bother you again.” He bowed slightly awkwardly and walked away a short distance, nodding at the boy who had been flagged down by his unseemly behavior and hoping he would follow him. He did.

“So, why do you need to find Haru-chan?”

“I wanted to speak with him. I was hoping to find him at the music club like I said, and, perhaps… Ahem. Get to play with him, someday. I met him at a prefectural music competition once, you see, and—“

“Did Haru-chan kick your butt?! He did, didn't he?! Oh, I’m Nagisa, Hazuki Nagisa, by the way!” The boy had rudely interrupted him mid-sentence and threw him slightly off-balance. Rei had a funny feeling this would become a trend. (He wasn't wrong.)

“I, uh… No, Hazuki-kun, he didn't, I’m not a violinist—“

“Nagisa is fine, just Nagisa!”

“Err… right. I’m Ryuugazaki Rei, and, no he didn't, like I said. I just saw him perform and— Well I’m not sure how to explain it…” Rei trailed off awkwardly, furrowing his brows. What had he hoped to accomplish by meeting Haruka anyway?

“No, I totally get it! I've been friends with Haru-chan since we were kids. He blew you away with how he plays, didn't he?!”

“Well… Yes… Since you put it that way Hazuki-kun, I guess that is one way to say it. I did find his rather unorthodox interpretation Beautiful, to be honest.”

“Rei-chan, seriously. Nagisa! You can call me Nagisa!”

“R-Rei-chan?! Wh— Please don’t call me in such an overly familiar fashion! We aren't that close!” Rei was truly losing any grasp on the conversation he might have tenuously had, and he definitely wasn't enjoying it.

“Well then we’ll just have to get closer! Say, Rei-chan, how about you meet me outside your classroom tomorrow during break and we’ll eat lunch together? I’ll introduce you to my friends!”

“W-What?! How can you extend such an informal invitation immediately? We’re not even classmates and we've only just met! The commonly accepted social construct requires for us to have known each other at least a bit longer than—”

“Eehh? But I thought you wanted to get to know Haru-chan?”

“I… what?…”

“Well Haru-chan wasn't a member of any clubs last year. And he probably won’t be this year either, so you won’t meet him anywhere like that. And Rei-chan, I’m inviting you because if there’s one thing in the world that Haru-chan loves as much as music and water, it’s mackerel! If you want to try talking to him, you have to do it in mackerel’s presence!” Rei hadn't noticed when Nagisa managed to get close enough to him to stand on tiptoe and stare him in the face from a decidedly too close proximity, fists clenched and eyes glimmering with excitement.

“M-mackerel? What does that even— How are all those things even remotely connected to each other?! You’re not making even a shred of sense!” Feeling as if getting a grip on the situation was of utmost importance, Rei readjusted the glasses on his nose with one hand and took a step back to put some distance between them before Nagisa spoke again and sparked Rei’s most deep-seated enthusiasm with a single sentence.

“So if you’re not a violinist, which instrument do you play?”

“Ah! I am glad you asked! It’s one of the most Beautiful instruments in existence! I play... The piano! The wonderful shine of the gloss on the wooden surface! The tender pressure of the keys underneath your fingertips as you make the mallets hit the perfectly tensioned strings! The ultimate perfect form is within your reach, through studying music theory and relentless practice you can master and reproduce the most glorious pieces ever written—”

“…Mnnngh that sounds too difficult for me to understand…” Nagisa pouted and continued as he got closer to Rei again. “…But if you’re a pianist, what were you doing at Haru-chan’s competition? And why didn't you stay to sign up for the music club if you’re good enough to attend prefecturals in the first place?”

“I… may have wanted to join the music club before. But that doesn't matter anymore. I have no more incentive to do so. And I happened to watch a prefectural final for the violinists section by pure chance. That’s where I saw Nanase-senpai.”

“Aaah, I see. So you won’t join the music club because Haru-chan isn't in it.” Nagisa stated it more as a fact, rather than a question.

“That— might be one of the reasons, yes.” Rei relented with a slump of his shoulders, as if the admission was too taxing somehow. “I’m going to consider joining the track and field club again instead.”

“Eeeh… but Rei-chan, in that case this is practically your only chance to meet with Haru-chan on a regular basis, you should at least think about coming with me tomorrow!” Nagisa practically latched himself onto Rei’s biceps, tugging on his arm and pouting with a decidedly more distraught expression than the situation could possibly, in Rei’s opinion, warrant.

“That’s absolutely impossible!” Rei scoffed and pulled his arm out of Nagisa’s grip and gesticulated with wide sweeping gestures, getting more and more agitated by the minute. “It would be most unbecoming of me, a stranger, to intrude on such a private affair amongst otherwise close friends.”

“Hmm, you really think so? But Rei-chan, you've heard Haru-chan playing the violin. He’s very ‘free’ in his own way, right? I’m sure neither he nor Mako-chan will mind when I bring a friend to lunch with me!” The way Rei froze on the spot for a moment and glanced down at him didn't escape Nagisa’s attention, though a split second later Rei did that ‘thing’ again where he pointlessly adjusted his glasses with one hand. It wasn't difficult to see that something in this statement did spark his interest, but he still obstinately turned his head away.

“I refuse. It’s unbecoming to impose like that.”

 

Of course his protest was as weak as it was short-lived, since Nagisa seemed to disregard it, or simply pretend it never happened. The very next day Rei found his classroom barged in on during lunch by his overly energetic and loud new acquaintance. Within seconds Rei was being dragged outside, his entire neck and face hot with embarrassment. He wasn't really sure whether it really was only because Nagisa very loudly called him “Rei-chan” in front of almost all of his classmates. And grabbed a hold of him as if they've known each other all their lives. And maneuvered him out of the classroom without much fuss or refusal... Rei suspected it all may have simply been nerves at the prospect of properly meeting Nanase-senpai face to face.

Whatever ideas and plans he might have entertained that this impromptu gathering might entail, they fell through immediately when he was unceremoniously pushed through the door to the roof. Mere seconds later he was shoved to the side firmly enough that he stumbled in surprise, crashed his shoulder into the wall, and sat down on the concrete floor, hard. A strangled noise of pain escaped him and he scrambled to steady the wrapped bento boxes he was carrying, so he wouldn't drop them and spill the contents all over himself.

Over the noise of loudly exclaimed apologies coming from the perpetrator himself, Rei heard a somewhat panicked tone coming from his other side.

“Nagisa, what are you doing?! Ah, hey, are you okay?! Are you hurt?!”

The voice belonged to a broad-shouldered boy whom Rei almost instantly recognized as one of the musicians he saw during the first years’ opening ceremony assembly. His concern seemed genuine, worry radiating from his honestly startled expression. He seemed to be stuck in some half-raised pose, as if he couldn't decide whether to get up and help. Rei was about to answer when he noticed a pair of shockingly blue eyes slightly widened with surprise, watching him. It had only been the third time he’d seen him so far, but Rei had read somewhere that strongly emotionally charged meetings imprint themselves more vividly in one’s memory. He was inclined to agree, since he found himself at a complete loss for words in the presence of Nanase Haruka, the boy he’d been desperate to talk to just the day before.

It was profoundly ironic, now that his wish of meeting Haruka had come true, that Rei just _had to_ do so in a relatively embarrassing fashion. He managed to stammer some sort of affirmation that he was alright, one of his hands instinctively adjusting the glasses on his nose to try and cover up his awkwardness. It was also then that Nagisa decided it would be a perfectly fine moment for introductions. He plopped down on the ground right next to Rei, throwing an arm around him as if they've known each other forever and not a grand total of two days. To his credit though, Nagisa didn't mention that, nor the circumstances of their meeting. He didn't know if he could handle having to admit to his search for Haruka, since he didn't want to come off as some sort of creepy stalker. Rei realized very quickly however that Nagisa’s account of his friends’ dispositions towards accepting a stranger into their group had been correct; they took his presence in stride and almost immediately settled into a comfortable rapport.

Not even a few days had passed until Rei felt certain that Makoto-senpai's kindness was not just for show, especially when he went out of his way to make Rei feel welcomed and included, always making sure Nagisa was not driving him _too_ crazy. Haruka-senpai seemed almost his polar opposite, at the start at least. He didn't seem to have any opinion of Rei whatsoever, but sometimes it seemed like he both didn't care he was there, and at the same time was mildly inconvenienced by having to interact with him. From what Rei could gather, Haruka-senpai didn't talk much to anyone though, and was very taciturn by nature and sometimes came across as mildly rude, whenever forced to speak. That first impression didn't last long though, soon enough it became apparent that under that guise of indifference Haruka-senpai cared for his friends greatly— if his endless patience and tolerance for Nagisa’s antics in particular was any indicator.

It didn't take too long for Rei to be fully accepted as a permanent fixture in their friend group. For lack of better options, he ended up joining the track and field club like he’d originally planned. He of course tried time and time again to attempt discussing things with Haruka-senpai about music, though. Rei quickly learned a few things however, with varying degrees of disappointment…

Even though Haruka-senpai has never attended a competition since the one Rei witnessed him in, he continued playing, though only in private. He was also extremely reluctant to talk about anything related to the topic, especially when it came to his odd interpretation and improvisation. On the rare times he indulged him, Rei had difficulty trying to understand his explanations. They were simply too cryptic, or laconic, or both, and more often than not laced with metaphors pertaining to water, of all things. Even if Rei was inclined to agree that music, like water, “was alive”, in the end he all but gave up trying to gain insight into the way Haruka-senpai performed what he read in the note sheets.

With reluctance he chalked it all up to the fact his senpai must have a rare breed of natural talent, especially since Makoto-senpai had told him on one occasion that he was almost certain Haru possessed “absolute pitch”. Not that anyone has ever actually tested him for it properly, what with Haru's tendency to discard and not bother with things that were “too much of a hassle”. Rei had to reluctantly conclude that Haruka-senpai’s talent bordered on something that could be described in layman’s terms as “gut feeling” and attempting to replicate it or learn it would probably be pointless, if not impossible.

This revelation alone was a very bitter pill to swallow and took an extraordinary amount of time to come to terms with, since up until then Rei firmly believed there was nothing that couldn't be achieved with enough consumption of theory and rigorous practice. Plus, even after almost two years, he still didn't get his wish of someday being able to perform _with_ Haruka-senpai.

 

…Until now, which was why irritation at the ease with which Nagisa just (Knowingly? Unknowingly? Could one _ever_ be certain of the way Nagisa’s mind worked?) played him was battling with the deep urge to just give in and accept the _chance_ this ridiculous “Talent Fight” would give him.

“…You wanted to do this together? With Haruka-senpai?” Rei finally spoke up, adjusting his glasses with one hand and flattening the poster on the desk with the other, looking away from Nagisa as if that would conceal his growing interest.

“Yep! _All_ of us together, as a group! Well, I haven’t asked Mako-chan yet. He’ll probably take some convincing…”

“And Haruka-senpai is on board with this?”

Nagisa grinned in response. “Like I said, it’s Mako-chan that’s the difficult part, but I’m hoping he’ll follow Haru-chan, if we’re not strong enough on to persuade him on our own.”

Rei drummed his fingers on the desk, the poster shifting minutely. He seemed to be deep in thought, a frown creasing his features, but eventually he looked up, the tiniest of blushes creeping up high onto his cheeks.

“Alright… Let’s do it. But! I expect you to take responsibility and research all the organisational detail! We’ll talk about this some more this weekend. We don’t have much time to prepare, or to study for the exams; we’ll have to work out some sort of schedule. Also, you have to manage to convince Makoto-senpai by this weekend by proxy or we’ll simply not have enough time for anyth—“

He was cut off by Nagisa positively wailing a “Reeei-chaaaan!” into his ear as he launched himself towards him and wrapped his arms around his shoulders unceremoniously, not heeding any protests.

 

 

Nagisa didn't consider himself a villain, really. Most of the time, at least. A “free-spirited opportunist” was a good description in his opinion! But really, what could he do if Rei-chan was momentarily blinded by his earnest eager enthusiasm!? He had to use that to his advantage, right? He didn't _lie_ outright, per se. He didn't! He just… didn't confirm Rei’s statement of Haru-chan participating. That wasn't lying! Well, okay, it was lying by omission… But still! It’s not like it hurt anyone, and it wasn't _completely_ untrue! Sure, Rei would definitely blow a fuse though, _if_ he found out how he got maneuvered, and then all the carefully laid plans could fall through.

All things considered, it was a risk worth taking and Nagisa was reasonably hopeful that he would be able to convince Haru-chan, even if he wasn't entirely sure how. Yet. It was always difficult with him; even after so many years of knowing him, it was still hard to get a read on him. Emotionally Haru-chan was about as blocked off as if he was permanently locked in a bunker, except for the times he went swimming of course. Nagisa wasn't even one hundred percent sure if Haru-chan really had fun on the rare occasions they did things together or as a group. But, he had to, at least a bit, or he wouldn't continue to come along, right?

If there was anything easy to understand about Haru-chan, it was that he made up his mind relatively quickly, even if he said “no” more often than Nagisa would have liked. It was almost impossible to nudge him (the word “manipulate” was taboo) into things he didn't want to do in the first place. He didn't seem to have any desire for material possessions of any kind, so _that_ couldn't be used as potential bribe material either— Wait, no, if worst comes to worst, Nagisa could always promise him a stack of canned mackerel! That would probably work! Probably. And sacrificing his allowance for such a noble cause was definitely worth it.

Reinvigorated with that self-assurance, he picked up his pace. He was honestly hoping against all hope that he would be able to catch Haru-chan alone, without Mako-chan present. It would be infinitely more difficult to get both of them to agree at the same time. Nagisa had a nagging suspicion that Mako-chan’s original instrument of choice when he was a kid, the cello, was probably picked on the basis of him being able to at least partially hide himself behind it and still be able to hold it. Even now, his stage fright and general reluctance to perform in front of bigger crowds have never fully gone away, even after all the years of practice. The opening ceremony when Nagisa joined the school was proof enough of that.

He was rather surprised to see both of his friends performing with the choir and music club, and from where he was sitting in the audience he could easily spot the moment Haru-chan moved behind Mako-chan and place a reassuring hand on his back for the few moments he could. He was just about as tense as one of his strings back then, and if Haru-chan were to see Mako-chan’s unguarded discomfort firsthand now again, well, that would be the end of it there and then. But that was a secondary issue; first he had to make sure to convince Haru-chan to join them _before_ Rei found out the ruse…

Fate seemed to be shining on Nagisa though, as he burst through the door to the roof where his friends usually ate lunch and noticed Haruka immediately— and just him. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he quickly made his way to sit down directly in front of his friend.

“Haru-chan, hiya~! Where’s Mako-chan? Why are you here all by your lonesome?”

All he got in response was a half-shoulder shrug and an almost muttered statement of “Held back by a teacher. He’ll probably eat in the classroom.”

“That’s… kinda sucky for Mako-chan, but perfect for me, actually. I had something I wanted to ask you in private, if you don’t mind?…” It was infinitely easier to not dance around any issue with Haru; risking his irritation or impatience was not worth it.

“Have you seen any of these ‘round town?” He proffered the hideous poster and waited as his friend put down his bento box (grilled mackerel on white rice, as per usual) to take it and glance over the eye-watering ensemble.

“Yes. They’re everywhere. Haven’t read them though.”

“Here, here Haru-chan, look here and tell me what you think.” Nagisa tapped the section pertaining to the competition part of the mini-festival. It took a few moments for Haruka to silently read through it, and all he responded with was a raised eyebrow and a look that clearly spoke “what about it”, easily decipherable even without Mako-chan’s mind-reading abilities. Mustering all of his possible ‘feigned innocence,’ Nagisa began to speak in a light, airy tone, trying hard not to sound like he was being pushy.

“I was thinking we should join it. I already asked Rei-chan and he said yes. He’s going to nerd up some boring schedule so we still have time to study for exams… But I wanted to ask you too, and I want to see what Mako-chan thinks later as well. Kind of for old times’ sake, yeah? It’s been yeaaaars since we had the chance to play together properly and I kinda… I miss it, you know?”

That part at least was definitely true; it had always been a lot of fun hanging out with Mako-chan and Haru-chan at the music school and it wasn't at all false when he resumed speaking in a more subdued fashion, suddenly wistful and avoiding looking at Haru.

“It would be really fun if we could play in the old school again, since they’re reopening it full-time. The contest aside, you and Mako-chan are going to graduate soon, and it might be the last time we have the chance to do something ‘big’ like this together… And Rei-chan plays really beautifully, so I really wanted him there too… To kind of share in the nostalgia I guess, if that’s even possible? Sooo, yeah… Think about it and let me know, okay? I’ll ask Mako-chan soon too, so I—“

“Okay.” Haruka cut him off as he put the poster back in Nagisa’s hands and picked up his food again, resuming picking at his mackerel.

“Geehh?!”

“Let’s do it.”

“REALLY? Haru-chan, you mean it?! Waaahh!” Nagisa practically flung himself at his friend, by some miracle avoiding knocking his bento to the ground or spilling its contents everywhere.

“N-Nagisa! Let go, you’ll make me choke!”

“Aaah… Sorry, sorry Haru-chan, I’m just so happy, I thought you wouldn't want to! I know you don’t much like contests and all that stuff.”

Haru paused, giving Nagisa a slightly disgruntled look as he finally disentangled himself from his shoulders before he continued quietly, almost petulantly, as if he was reluctant to admit something.

“I don’t care about competitions… But I did enjoy going to the music school as a kid. So I won’t mind too much.”

“Yeah! I loved it too!” Nagisa grinned “It will be nice to visit the place again! From what I could tell they’re advertising this in other nearby cities too, so there might quite a bit of competition and interest in the festival! It would be great to see them do well on this. I mean… Eheheh…” He scratched his cheek, chuckling awkwardly, a small blush creeping onto his face. “I did get to meet you and Mako-chan there. And, well, you should remember, it wasn't easy for me to make friends back then… So, you know… If other kids would get an opportunity like that… That would be great.”

 

 

It wasn't often that Haru smiled, and even when he did it wasn't more than just a soft twitch of the corners of his lips, but he did it all the same as he looked at Nagisa with a gaze that could easily be described as fond. He remembered the little blond kid who could barely even greet anyone at first and who floundered around for a few weeks trying to find an instrument that suited him, tearing up very easily whenever his insecurities flared up. He’d been tiny, skinny, shy, and lacking self-confidence. In truth, back then he reminded him a lot of a younger Makoto. But as annoying as Nagisa frequently tended to be nowadays, it was a testament to how far he’d come and how he’d grown into himself.

Nagisa was right, if being able to learn a skill and have fun sharing it with others was what could help other kids overcome at least some of their self-doubt (it did so for both Nagisa and Makoto after all), then Haru definitely wanted to see the reopening of the old music school succeed as well. Even if it meant dealing with a definite annoyance in the form of a talent competition, _again_.

“Mm, yes. It would be nice,” he stated simply just before Nagisa jumped to his feet, dusting himself off and folding the poster messily before stuffing it into his pocket.

“I better get back to my classroom, or I won’t have enough time to enjoy my Iwatobi-chan bread. I’ll see you later Haru-chan. And I’ll try to talk to Mako-chan alone, okay? We shouldn't put pressure on him; he doesn't like these things almost as much as you. I’ll let you know what he thinks! Bye bye!” And just like that the little menace stormed off through the rooftop’s door, practically skipping and not waiting for an answer.

 

 

 _Two down, one to go!_ \- Nagisa cackled to himself. Admittedly, this was probably going to be more difficult than the other two combined, but he was nothing if not an optimist. He had a few days to go until the weekend, until Rei’s tentative ultimatum; all he needed to do was to play his cards right.

 

 

If he was going to be honest with himself, Makoto should probably have seen this coming. From at least a mile away. In hindsight this _really_ should have been as clear as day, but as he stood there caught in Nagisa’s verbal crossfire, some really confusing and scrambled thoughts flitted through Makoto’s head as his eyebrow twitched uncontrollably, discomfort evident at his predicament.

And it wasn't because Nagisa was clutching both his wrists in a vice grip, leaving no room for struggle (without hurting him at least; sometimes Makoto was certain his friend just _forgot_ how much smaller than him he was). It’s not even that Nagisa was almost sparkling up at him with these giant baby fawn eyes of his that would give even “imploring mode” Ran and Ren a run for their money. It was a number of factors that led to this situation, and in a sudden clarity of thought Makoto found himself thinking that he would swear up and down and three ways to next Wednesday that he truly hadn't expected this outcome, even if he should have.

It probably wasn't that he was briefly blindsided by Nagisa being for once _predictable_ , and he usually was nothing short of a force of nature - you just never knew when the weather report was actually going to be fully accurate, right? It wasn't that Haru reacted _un_ predictably and Makoto had honestly thought his best friend at least would hold out the longest under Nagisa’s endless barrage of insistence and pleading, thereby at least giving him some time to think, but no! Miraculously, Haru had agreed already. And it wasn't even that Makoto really should have known about the thinly-disguised soft spot Rei had for Nagisa nowadays ( _and_ for Haru and his music, of course).

As a result of _all_ this put together Makoto was simply standing there, delicately attempting to twist his wrists free from his friend’s grip, sweat slowly running down his neck as the stare Nagisa was giving him was turning from “begging” to downright “demanding persistence” because he could _swear_ Nagisa could tell he was slowly cracking. Makoto really should have connected all the strings Nagisa had been pulling at for the past few days and he _really_ should have discovered Nagisa’s true form earlier - a devilish fiend; a demon that would stop at nothing to get his way!

“N-Nagisa, you— I… really don’t know if I have the time to— Look, we really shouldn't be doing something like this so close to the end of the term!” he managed to finally choke out, regaining some semblance of assertiveness. The apologetic smile, however, felt lopsided and nervous (he was reasonably certain his brow was still twitching).

“Mako-chaaan…” Nagisa pouted, puffing out his cheeks in the way that was slowly but surely becoming a trademark for him whenever he was upset or disagreeing. “If not now, then when?! It’s going to be fun, I promise! You said it yourself, it would be great to at least visit the place again now that it’s reopening! All nostalgic-like!”

“Well, yes, I did say that… But I didn't want it to be _this_ way! A-And I keep telling you, we've got the end-of-term exams coming up!”

“Mako-chan! I didn't know you were that bad a student that a few weeks of taking it easier would make you fail a few tests! They’re not even that important yet! Besides, Rei-chan already agreed that this would be a great opportunity, and he said that if any of us needs any extra help with school…” Nagisa paused and put on a fake air of self-importance, his voice dropping slightly in a half-successful imitation of Rei’s speech “…he would be happy to provide any required tutoring assistance, not just for the time of the exams but also in case any make-up test is necessary as well… or… something like that.” He ended lamely, beginning to practically bounce in place from excitement, as he could tell Makoto was already running out of well-thought-out remarks to make.

“But, Nagisa!”   

“Besides, even Haru-chan! EVEN _HARU-CHAN_ agreed immediately. It’s just you that’s being a spoilsport by not joining us!” He pouted slightly, falling on his last—admittedly probably most successful—tactic. It wasn't really a secret that Makoto had always been no more than a step or two behind his best friend and would probably agree to almost anything that Haru wanted to do, within bounds of reason. Heaving a deep sigh and silently cursing the day Nagisa waved that wretched leaflet in his face, Makoto slumped in defeat.

“Alright… Fine… I’ll join too. But only if—“ His further protests were drowned out in Nagisa’s whoops of victory as he began to jump for joy in circles around Makoto, turning more than a few heads in their direction and making his ears flush scarlet in embarrassment.

 

 

In hindsight, Makoto should have known this would be the outcome, but he may not have been entirely honest with himself when he somehow became convinced indulging Nagisa this one time would be the end of it.

Looking back, though, he would point to that exact day as the one which:

A) Ultimately? Threw their lives into a complete and utter _chaos_ , and

B) Set something in motion that they would _never_ , not even in their wildest dreams, have _dared_ to expect to happen.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to this monstrosity! ~~I can't believe I'm writing a sorta-boyband AU.~~ I was going to post this on monday, but the HaruRin official art explosions were a sign that I shouldn't put it off ;) ! Who am I to reject the will of the HaruRin gods, even if today is Friday the 13th?
> 
> The last time I've attempted to write anything "seriously" was maybe 7 years ago. I'm still rusty and it's not even near the level I want it to be, but there's no chance for improvement if I'm not doing anything about it, right? Please let me know if the narrative is confusing anywhere, since I've decided to go with a shifting POV.
> 
> This idea has been developing inside my head since September... In other words: there's a lot of stuff planned for it, so buckle up, and I hope you'll enjoy the wild ride!
> 
> This fic wouldn't have made it past the planning stage without the following people: 
> 
> [Ellerean](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellerean/profile) \- mountains of gratitude for her EXCELLENT beta, magical editorial skills and thought-provoking feedback! Her insight already helped shape the direction this fic will go in. I can't thank her enough! 
> 
> [AllyC](http://archiveofourown.org/users/AllyC/profile) & [Maybeillride](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Maybeillride/profile) & [Shizuumi151](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Shizuumi151/profile) & [Karratran](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Karratran/profile) : Each and every single member of this gang patiently listened to my random explosions of various storytelling snippets and ideas, FOR MONTHS on end, and gave me mountains of encouragement at my lowest points. This drivel wouldn't even _exist_ without them! 
> 
> And lastly, my roommate, who regularly puts up with my overwhelming bouts of excitement over feelings and fandoms she doesn't necessarily share. (Yes, yes, I'm going to write that Free! BDSM fic for you eventually, BE PATIENT damnit!) 
> 
> Here's to hoping none of these wonderful creatures will get tired of me before this story is done ;) ! 
> 
> Find me on Tumblr at [TheGirlOnFandoms](http://TheGirlOnFandoms.tumblr.com) ~


	2. Old Days

The second greatest tragedy of Nanase Haruka’s life was the day the old swimming pool closed down.

Even back then it had already been obvious he’d be a fairly withdrawn but stubborn boy when he grew up, and the removal of one of his scarce sources of quiet happiness had caused him to become increasingly grumpy and bitter, beyond the usual fare. Haruka was starting to act short with people and almost constantly frowned, a lot more than a child in junior high should, even on worst days. It was his grandmother who then made a judgement call and undertook action to ease Haruka’s temper, when his one great joy was unfairly taken away.

She was more than aware he also still felt sad, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, over his parents deciding, with heavy hearts, to pursue their careers in a large city with better opportunities some months before. Coming back to a nearly empty and deathly silent house every day, without the option to go swim his boredom away, had not been doing the boy any favours. It was then that she took it upon herself to introduce him to music, an attempt to fill the solitude and silence his life started to revolve around.

It started out innocently enough, with simply dusting off the old upright piano and finding the yellowing note sheets. She began to practice, in secret, while her grandson was at school. It took a while for her old hands to remember how to move along the keys with more ease than her age initially allowed. The effect was almost instantaneous, however, when finally one day Haruka entered the house to the sound of music coming from one of the most infrequently used side rooms.

He knew there had been a piano there, but never had even a fleeting interest towards it, not beyond a passing curiosity on why his family owned one in the first place. He hadn’t suspected it actually belonged to his grandmother, and it came with a slight shock that he meandered towards the sound, almost in a trance. It was a gentle and sweet melody, softly filling the solitude of the house and the empty spaces in his heart Haru didn’t acknowledge having. He felt it pulling him closer with no less force than the water called for him. He didn’t know how long he stood silently listening in the doorway, eyes wide and shining, lips parted slightly, simply watching his grandmother play. Eventually the melody ended, much to his grudging disappointment, and she looked up, fully aware he’d been there the entire time, and silently beckoned for him to join her on the bench.

It began as a sort of game, which she started with saying that her old aching hands were giving her trouble, and that she needed his help if he wanted her to continue playing. She picked out simple melodies that he could reproduce, with one hand at the start. She challenged him to try and memorize them first, and then to keep up as she playfully sped up the tempo on her side later. Haru didn’t even notice when the transition to her teaching him the basic music symbols and how to read them began. It became so engrossing he didn’t notice the time passing, or when he actually started looking forward to coming home, and doing his chores and homework diligently but quickly, just so he could play with her again.

Even his usual need for swimming receded a bit, substituted by taking overly long baths whenever possible. His head swam instead - with symbols and sounds. They were finally beginning to make sense and connect with each other. The repetition required to get all the timing down, and for both his hands to work independently of each other, was gruelling and annoying. However, he could tell that his efforts were being rewarded, results coming quicker the more time and focus he put into the practice. He didn’t have a clear goal in sight, didn’t really know what exactly he was striving for with this, but for the time being - it didn’t matter. It was fun and he was beginning to be able to read at least some of the notes with increasing fluidity.

Soon enough Makoto noticed Haru’s restlessness whenever they hung out after school, or on the weekends, and would have probably taken it personally, had it not been for Haru’s grandmother’s intervention. She simply invited him inside one day, when she answered the door initially intending only to inform him Haruka was ‘busy’. She did wonder why her grandson hadn’t told anyone about this, especially Makoto, but there was an oddly possessive air around him whenever he really sunk into his practice. As if his forays into music were his, and his alone. It was Haruka’s decision to make these things known, but it was his best friend he risked hurting… Thankfully, Makoto’s genuine excitement over Haru’s new hobby quickly dispelled any initial annoyance about her sharing this ‘secret’.

When prompted to join, Makoto found it relatively difficult to correctly repeat even the initial ‘games’ Haru had started with. Either the tempo was hard to follow, or he couldn’t easily memorize the sequence of keys, even after several attempts. By comparison, it was quickly becoming apparent that there was previously undiscovered talent sleeping in Haru, if the ease with which he adapted to whatever new exercises his grandmother shared with him was to go by. Makoto appeared to feel content to simply sit next to him and listen to him practice, almost every day, but this status quo probably wouldn’t hold out long. There were only so many times one could listen to someone else going through a single melodic line, and repeat it multiple times in succession, messing up often enough for it to be eventually annoying to both parties.

Fortunately, their saving grace came from an unexpected source - Haru’s parents, even though they hadn’t known about his new-found talent, either. The topic simply “hadn’t come up” in their phone conversations with their son, or more likely had been avoided on his end. Therefore they had the surprise of discovering the unmistakable sounds of the piano upon entering the house on a spontaneous weekend visit. At first they assumed it was Haruka’s grandmother playing, but it was a little too shaky and stuttering. The sound soon cut off, followed by an exchange of a frustrated groan and slightly higher pitched encouragements, before picking up again with a little more certainty.

Some moments later Haruka’s parents were comfortably leaning on the doorframe, watching their son’s endearingly disgruntled expression for several minutes. He soldiered on through another attempt of playing the same simple melody, allowing Makoto to happily turn the page for him when he neared the last of the notes. Their presence was noticed soon after, when Haruka’s mother couldn’t help making a happy little sound and clapping her hands as soon as her son finally exhaled with both relief and frustration at the end of the sheet. Confused but pleasant hugs were exchanged, a break was called for, tea and snacks were served, and finally the part that Haruka really disliked came. The ‘talking about it’.

He couldn’t say why he suddenly started practising with his grandmother, couldn’t explain why he never said anything about it on the phone, and he didn’t even know how to put into words the reasons for continuing. It was obvious that he was frustrated and irritated whenever he couldn’t play something right or read the notes correctly, and it was the first time he stubbornly persisted with something that was this much of an annoyance. It wasn’t news to anyone that his patience for such things was thin at the best of times. There was nothing Haru could come up with to explain his drive to continue. Finally, he looked away from his parents, with a sigh and shrug that usually meant an end to the conversation on his part. He was glad to see them, but their interest and genuine happiness at him finding a new hobby were a little overwhelming.

Luckily, they had always been relatively good at picking up on his moods, and switched to including Makoto in the conversation instead. At least he was happy to provide all the information that Haru either wouldn’t, or couldn’t. He was much easier to get talking, too, and Haru wasn’t sure if the cascade of excited words and praise that tumbled out of Makoto’s mouth, while describing every detail of the supposed brilliance and progress Haru had been making, was more flattering or embarrassing. Haru was just about to tell him to stop exaggerating, when his mother asked a question he hadn’t expected.

“Wouldn’t you like to learn to play an instrument too, Makoto, so that you could play with Haruka? Instead of just sitting there and listening all the time?” Apparently it was just as easy to get Makoto to fall silent, as it was to get him talking. If his widened eyes were any indicator, he hadn’t thought of that. It hadn’t occurred to Haru either, but just because Makoto seemed to struggle with even the idea of trying to play the piano, didn’t mean that he wouldn’t be able to play something else, if he wanted to. And now that the idea was planted in their heads, it seemed like the most natural solution. It felt right, somehow, for Makoto to find something of his own, instead of always trying to follow along with whatever Haru wanted to do. He wasn’t so ignorant as to be blind to the selflessness that Makoto more often than not used to cover up for his shyness. He was allowed to want things of his own, too. But wouldn’t that mean they would have to be separated if they wanted to learn different instruments?... Haru had mixed feelings about it.

“How?” he asked, promptly getting a startled glance from Makoto. It seemed he was thinking about declining instantly, as usual, like whenever something that potentially diverted their paths came up. Haru was more than used to Makoto clinging to his arm or shirt when surrounded by a lot of people, or walking in an unfamiliar place, or simply sleeping next to each other whenever they stayed over at each others’ houses. Makoto felt more comfortable having someone near, disliked solitude or being left alone, while Haru was no stranger to these feelings. But this was different. This had the potential of allowing them to stay close, and not requiring either of them to make compromises for the sake of spending time together. Makoto had been doing enough of that already.

“Well, there is a music school in town, if I remember correctly,” Haruka’s mother said. “We’d have to check, and talk to his parents if they would even agree on it. This of course depends on whether you want to in the first place, Makoto. I just thought it would be nice if you two could share a hobby together properly this time.” Haru allowed himself just a little sigh as he glanced at his friend. The last time they did that it didn’t go over too great, and judging by the slight momentary dusting of pink across Makoto’s cheeks, he still felt embarrassed about it. Honestly, it wasn’t his fault that the water scared him, despite the fact Haru had told him time and time again there was nothing to fear. If the swimming pool hadn’t closed down, Haru suspected that Makoto might have eventually quit going there. The infrequent excursions to the beach, whenever one of their parents had the time to go with them, were enough of an indicator that this particular fear wasn’t going to go away any time soon. Makoto had learned to swim only because Haru liked it so much. Maybe this time he could learn something because he liked it instead.

“Yes!” Makoto almost squeaked, eyes wide with enthusiasm. “Please, let’s try! If he wants us to, then I’d love to play with Haru-chan!”

“... _Drop the ‘chan’_!” Haru snapped at him, though without its usual bite, his expression softened with tentative excitement.

  
  


The Iwatobi Music School was an odd mix of ‘modern and traditional’ at first glance. The main building was huge and old, but the slightly newer extension to the side had been built in a more contemporary style. It made for a peculiar sight, though oddly fitting, since the school hosted a wide variety of classes, with music-related activities for kids of any age. Anyone could simply come over, sign up for a free trial period, and try and see if anything took their fancy. Before Haru’s parents left the town again, both Makoto and Haru were signed up temporarily to see how they liked it. Their parents didn’t subscribe to the idea of getting tied down forever with the first thing they simply happened to pick up, so they had no requirements for them, nor would there be any hard feelings if they didn’t like it, which suited them just fine. They began going there on the way back home from school.

The biggest surprise came with the fact that it were the kids in attendance who had nearly free reign in how the place operated. The staff were merely there to teach and make sure everyone enjoyed what they were doing, while constantly monitoring everyone’s progress and sharing praise and encouragement whenever needed. The students followed their own mix-and-match class schedules, but the ‘free kids’, who haven’t properly signed up or chosen their activities yet, were not only encouraged but required to roam the premises. They were expected to meet with and get to know the teachers, to visit the classrooms, and to simply wander around. They were allowed to peek into any class in session on the first two floors, where the beginners had their lessons, as long as they didn’t cause any major disturbances. The top floors were reserved for the older and more advanced students, and were out of bounds.

Common sense dictated that it should be chaotic and nearly impossible to control uncoordinated groups of youngsters. However, because the teachers didn’t even try to restrict what the new kids were doing, they policed themselves on their own, smitten with both the freedom to do what they wanted and the responsibility of following simple basic rules. The arrangement worked out for everyone perfectly. The bolder kids shadowed the students and badgered them and their teachers with questions during lulls in activity; the meeker ones simply slipped in and out of classes, trying not to get noticed. The latter, however, became much more difficult for Haru and Makoto the moment the teachers began trying to involve them in the activities, starting to try and figure out what kind of music they would enjoy playing most.

They soon learned the names of most instruments and tried playing at least half of the ones that were available, but so far nothing seemed to really stick. It was during one of those trials that a teacher accidentally discovered the sleeping potential in Haru. Despite the fact that, much to Makoto’s confusion, Haru had vehemently declined joining a class for the piano, they still peeked into piano lessons in progress a few times. On one such occasion they were invited to join a game one of the smaller groups was playing, even though all the other attendees present were older than Haru and Makoto. The teacher played a few notes on the piano while the student currently doing the exercise had their back turned, so they wouldn’t be able to see which keys she used. The task was simple enough in theory - repeat the same note sequence from hearing alone.

It was nothing short of a disaster, but the teacher didn’t seem to be discouraged or disappointed that only a single one of the eldest kids was able to do it at first try, and most not even after correcting themselves once, or even a couple times. That is, until the teacher said it was Haru’s turn. Surprising everyone but Makoto, he got it right on the first attempt. Just three slowly played notes, they were right there, what was so difficult about that…? She asked him to turn around once more, with a curious expression, and played again, using different keys this time and adding a few more notes. Five this time, a little more spread out, the rhythm different because of the distance between the keys - Haru opened his eyes and repeated them in the exact same tempo. He looked up to the muttering of the other students. Some were eyeing him with suspicion, others with thinly disguised shock or awe, and he didn’t understand what was so impressive.

The teacher had him try twice more, each time switching between the scales, adding one extra note each time and varying the speed with which she did so, trying to make him make a mistake— all to no avail. “What if I did this?”, she finally asked and pushed three keys at the same time, twice, each time a different chord. Haru tilted his head and thought for a moment with a small frown, frustrated because he couldn’t actually tell which notes they were in writing, he’d have to review the scales, again… Realising he still had to actually play - he did so, and a couple of the kids groaned. He raised his eyebrows questioningly, but no answer seemed to be forthcoming.

“Nanase-kun, that was excellent, but I was under the impression you didn’t know how to play?” the teacher finally spoke. There was nothing admonishing or overly suspicious in her tone - only mere curiosity and an excitement Haru had trouble understanding.

“I don’t… I’ve only been learning on my own for a few months.” A couple of the kids in the group muttered grumpily to each other, and Haru was really starting to be irritated. It was one thing to be praised for doing something well, especially something that he didn’t exactly have control over, and another thing to be resented for it— and by people who have been learning to do it for much longer than he had, no less. He glanced at Makoto, trying to make his frown speak for him. Thankfully, his friend was right on cue.

“Ah, sorry, but we have to move on now! Thank you for letting us join in the lesson!” Makoto bowed to the teacher and made his way out of the classroom, towing Haru by the elbow behind him.

“Nanase-kun!” The teacher shouted after them, “You definitely have the talent for it. Consider taking proper piano lessons!”

 

Haru huffed when they were safely outside, the door closed behind them. He already knew it wouldn’t be happening. He’d listened to almost all of the teachers to learn the pros and cons of the various instruments, and now knew that the piano wasn’t what he wanted. It was fun to practice and play with his grandma, but after coming to the music school, he was able to see it clearly. He wanted the same freedom that so far only swimming was able to give him, and playing the piano seriously was about as far from being ‘free’ it could get. There was a limit to what he would later play and how he could do it, and from what he could tell, pianists were generally getting stuck in accompaniment roles, for other musicians or orchestras. That didn’t sound appealing in the least.

‘Talent’, the teacher had said. Haru was wary of that word. There’s a saying that his grandmother taught him: “When you're ten, they call you a prodigy. When you're fifteen, they call you a genius. Once you hit twenty, you're just an ordinary person.” He heard other people call him ‘talented’ and a ‘prodigy’ before, in regards to his swimming, but he didn’t care. Even if you had ‘talent’, it meant nothing if you didn’t actually do anything with it, and he only wanted to feel the water and the peace it gave him. But was it possible to feel the music as well?… Yes, Haru was almost sure of it. He experienced it once before, and now he needed that… ‘pull’, again. The same way it felt the first time he’d heard his grandmother playing, the same absolute ease that only swimming brought him before. But he was becoming certain that learning the piano wasn’t the way to achieve that.

He sighed softly, breaking out of his reverie, and turned his attention to Makoto instead, who was eyeing him with some worry as they walked down the corridor towards the stairs.

“Do you want to head home, Haru-chan?”

“Didn’t you want to check out some of the instruments today again? We can stay.”

“Not if you’re not feeling up to it!”

“ _Makoto_.” Haru turned his head and glared. All he got in return was a half-apologetic head tilt and smile, and they ended up heading towards the classrooms where the younger (and less intimidating) students were roaming and practising that day.

Haru knew that Makoto had been having serious trouble finding something for himself, even after a few days of trying things out. Haru had been trying to get his friend to stop putting him first in this matter at least, but it seemed that Makoto would not be able to reach a decision on his own. As far as Haru could tell, the largest problem would be stage fright. Most of the instruments required the person playing them to be put in the spotlight, even temporarily. Makoto definitely didn’t feel comfortable whenever asked to try something that required him to be in the centre of attention. That was probably why he was waiting for Haru to pick something first, so that he could choose something that was complimentary, but allowed the attention to be focused on his friend instead. He’d been doing so for as long as they could both remember. So far, they haven’t been able to find anything either of them wanted to play, and they were running out of time - their trial week was almost up.

Lost in thought, Haru didn’t notice Makoto stopping a few paces behind, at the corridor’s intersection, until he called out to him.

“Haru-chan, do you hear that? Sounds like a fight…”

Haru didn’t even comment on the nickname, since Makoto sounded a bit distressed. He didn’t like conflict or raised voices, and the latter was floating down the corridor from a classroom two doors down. Without pausing to think what he was doing, Haru began to walk in that direction, to see what the commotion was about, Makoto following despite himself. They were both a bit curious; the music school was a relatively peaceful place and arguments were scarce. As soon as he reached the door, though, the voices cut off with an unmistakable groan and were replaced by a melody, played on the violin. It continued for maybe fifteen seconds before a sharp yell cut through it.

“ _No_! Stop that! Start again, from the beginning, and play exactly as it’s written down!”

“But this melody is boring this way! Please, pleaaase let me play how I want to, sensei! What will it hurt?!”

“Absolutely not! You’re supposed to first learn how to play it correctly before you can add your own interpretation.”

Exchanging a glance with Makoto, Haru quietly slid the door open just a bit, enough for them both to just see inside. They knew they were allowed to do so on this floor, but it still felt intrusive to witness a disagreement like this. As soon as the door was opened, the person playing glanced at them briefly, somewhat startled at the interruption. It was a boy with brightly coloured hair, no older than either of them, but obviously skilled - only the most advanced or talented students ended up in private lessons, and there were no other people in the room except him and the stern-looking teacher. She simply nodded at them, beckoned them to come in, and gestured to close the door behind them.

“Play as it’s written down in the notes,” she repeated in a stern tone, and pursed her lips at the boy with the violin, crossing her arms to emphasize it.

“Aaugh!” The boy groaned and crouched on the floor, the hands still holding the instrument and bow fisting at his temples. “I don’t want to…” He whined again, but seemed to think it wasn’t making his case, and stood up with a sigh. He glanced at Haru and Makoto again, his gaze lingering for a moment, as if sizing them up. For some reason, Haru felt irritated; he had an instant irrational dislike towards the boy. He seemed like the kind of person he wouldn’t be able to get along with. Something shifted in his expression then, and a flicker of an idea lit up his face as he turned towards the teacher again.

“If I play the entire piece correctly, can I then play how _I_ want it to sound?”

It took a moment for the teacher to assess the situation. It was obvious from her expression that this kind of pliability from the boy was as surprising as it was suspicious. Even so, she tentatively nodded, and the boy grinned. He hefted the violin to his shoulder, exhaled in a soft whispery sigh and took his stance, fully focused on the note sheet on the stand before him.

Makoto and Haru exchanged a surprised glance barely a dozen notes into his performance. Now that he was actually making the effort to perform, it was truly astounding. The sounds flowed without a single hitch, not one misplaced movement nor rhythm, even though they didn’t actually know the piece he was playing - they could tell. The teacher was very subtly nodding along in approval, a tiny smile flickering on her lips at each particularly difficult juncture.

Haru had heard himself described as ‘talented’ before, and a ‘prodigy’, but now he felt almost certain that he could easily be using these words about this boy, but without the distaste and scorn he usually coloured them with. He couldn’t have been any older than them, and already his skill surpassed anything they have heard at the school so far. Even though Haru still felt the initial dislike towards him, it was easy to simply lean his back against the wall, close his eyes, and peacefully enjoy his music.

It was over far too quickly for his liking, and Haru opened his eyes again to Makoto smiling with near adoration and applauding softly for a few short moments. His irritation was once again spiked when the boy grinned widely and took a few very deep, completely over-exaggerated bows in their direction, to the point of even the teacher clearing her throat and shaking her head in disapproval. The boy sobered quickly with a sheepish expression and turned to her again.

“Verdict? … Can I please play it my way now?” he asked softly, uncertainly, visibly unsure whether he met the expectations, which in Haru’s opinion was ridiculous compared to his earlier cockiness. The teacher sighed deeply, rolled her eyes, and nodded - to the effect of the boy whooping loudly and practically vibrating on the spot with excitement. It took him a few short moments to compose himself again, in which Haru considered just turning around and leaving the classroom, feeling like he has seen and heard enough already. He made the move to do so, but then the boy began to play again, and Haru froze mid-step, before an unseen strength forced him to turn around again with wide eyes.

The music... _was alive_. There was no other way to describe it. It was the same melody, and yet something shifted very subtly, enough to still be recognisable as the original, but carrying an entirely different mood and feeling. Every time the bow slid across the strings it stirred something inside Haru, an odd sense of longing and the peculiar need to just dive in, as if he were standing at the water’s edge, feeling it beckoning and inviting him in. He wouldn’t be able to resist it even if he tried, and there was no point in that anyway.

Instinctively Haru knew that the boy was not fully following the notes of the composition, but not fighting them either. He took them as they came and made them his own, subtly adjusting to whichever way they seemed to want to flow. He was free the very moment he was allowed to express his music exactly the way he wanted to. It was breathtaking and enchanting to Haru in a way that only swimming had been before, and it was with grudging admiration that he sighed shakily when the boy finally stopped playing.

Makoto was clapping again, but his head was turned towards Haru, his eyes crinkled with a happy smile. They both knew at that moment just which instrument Haru would be trying out next. They said their thanks and goodbyes then, and the boy’s face fell immediately. It seemed he wanted them to stick around, to at least make introductions, but Haru felt too restless. He needed to find one of the instructors designated for the ‘free kids’ and get his hands on a violin as soon as possible. He knew rationally that it was probably impossible for him to even get a single clean note out of it at first try, but he didn’t care. He needed to feel the weight of the instrument on his shoulder, needed to know what it was like to hold it. It was probably silly of him, but he didn’t question this urge, just as he didn’t question it every time he felt the pull towards water. It was different this time, and he needed to find out why and how.

 

They lucked out in finding one of the groups of the new kids relatively quickly; they just had to follow the chatter, the discordant noises coming from unskillfully abused instruments, and the subsequent outbreaks of laughter. The kids were clustered in one of the all-purpose classrooms around two teachers, who were desperately trying their best to divide their attention equally between the children and the instruments belonging to the school that they were playing with. To Haru’s amazement, there wasn’t much interest in the string section, and he immediately headed for it. Makoto didn’t even bother stopping him to have him ask for permission, or following him. It was the same as if he was in the vicinity of a large body of water; nothing short of major physical restraint would have been able to stand in Haru’s way.

Instead of pursuing the futility of that attempt, Makoto made his way towards the group nervously. He felt little comfort in the reassuring presence of his best friend in the room, nor in the fact that he did somehow already manage to attract the attention of one of the teachers without really doing anything. It was still nerve-wracking to try and find himself in this whole thing, no matter how much he wanted to be a part of the world that had been recently so enchanting to Haru. Swallowing thickly, Makoto steeled himself and resolutely made his way to the teacher who was observing him.

Luckily, the man seemed to sense his unease. Without drawing any more attention to them he simply stepped off to the side slightly, crouching down to Makoto’s eye level, and smiled.

“What’s up? Your name’s… Tachibana? Makoto, right? Something you needed?”

Makoto nodded. He couldn’t help it; even if the teacher was being friendly it was still intimidating to ask for help. He grabbed the hem of his shirt tightly and opened his mouth a few times before finding his voice.

“Is there… I mean… What should I…?” He couldn’t help but glance back behind him, to where Haru was now familiarising himself with one of the old violins.

“It’s okay, kiddo, take your time.” The man grinned, following Makoto’s gaze for a moment, lingering on Haru who was gently and a little awkwardly plucking the strings with a faraway expression. Makoto took a deep breath, before turning to face the man fully again.

“Sasabe-sensei… Which instrument would be good to learn alongside a violin?” he finally managed to get out, and nervously waited for the reply.

“Why not a violin as well? You would be able to learn and practise together.”

“No!” Makoto squeaked and shook his head emphatically. “No… I… I really don’t want to, um, ‘compete’ with Haru-chan…” It was difficult to tell whether the teacher understood what he really meant by that, since he didn’t comment on it at all, but Makoto was grateful that his request was being considered seriously all the same.

“Hmm… Not a violin, huh?… I take it you want a similar instrument that you could still play with him eventually? And sound good together? That kind of thing?” Makoto’s eyes widened and he simply nodded quickly. “Well, in that case you might want to consider what’s standard in a string quartet. Either a viola, or a cello. Though, the viola really is very similar to the violin, the sound is just lower in pitch. If you want something that’s complimentary, but fundamentally different, the cello might be your best bet?” He shrugged and smiled encouragingly. “Wanna try it out and see if you like it? We probably don’t have a cello suited to your height available right now, but it should give you a rough idea of what to expect.”

Makoto nodded nervously and waited for the teacher to lead the way to where Haru was now quietly engrossed in trying to figure out the proper way to hold the bow. The man gestured for him to sit down on chair near Haru and grabbed a very large instrument, kind of like an overly inflated violin, instantly making Makoto’s eyes widen with fear and worry. The teacher laughed softly at his expression and shook his head.

“Don’t make such a face, Makoto! This is actually a full size cello. One that would be okay for you would be just the right height. When you sit down, the main body should reach to right about here.” He gestured to roughly above his heart. “The scroll, that’s the top part, would be more or less around your ear.” He turned the instrument around, adjusting the position until it was mostly okay for the boy to grab it, and made sure it was stable on the ground as he handed it off to Makoto. He handed Makoto the cello’s bow, showing him how to hold it, taking the opportunity to correct Haru’s grip on his own bow as well. The instrument was much too large for the boy to hold comfortably; that wasn’t the point though— he just needed an idea of how the thing worked, just to see if it was something he would like to play.

Much to his surprise, Makoto instantly loved it. Sure, it was large, heavy, and unwieldy, but ironically enough that was a definite plus to him. It felt like a comfort rather than a liability. Even with an appropriately-sized cello he could imagine that the majority of his body would still be hidden behind it when he played. And it felt right, somehow, when he glanced next to him and saw Haru, who was standing awkwardly and shifting his arm under the violin, as if trying to get used to its weight.

As soon as the teacher diverted part of his attention to shout across the classroom at some kids who were beating at one another with drum sticks, rather than the drum set, Makoto took his chance and tried to shyly pull the bow across the strings. He shuddered violently when what came out was a scratchy sort of creak, not even resembling a ‘proper’ sound. He felt, rather than heard, the chuckle that Haru gave to his right side.

“Don’t worry. That’s about all I can do, too. It’s difficult…” he murmured softly once he stopped laughing, sounding a little bit grumpy about it. Makoto couldn’t help the grin that split his face as he took a moment to take in his friend’s expression.

“You love it already, Haru-chan!” It wasn’t a question, and it was Haru’s turn to smile briefly, much more softly than Makoto though. He nodded slowly in confirmation, his eyes shining in a way that reminded Makoto of the look Haru got whenever they went to the beach, or when he stood at the pool’s edge, just moments before he was allowed to dive into the water.

“So do you.” Haru countered with another small twitch of a smile.

“…Guess that’s that, then?”

“Mmm. I guess so. But _drop the ‘chan’_!”

  
  


Had it not been for the slight signs of disrepair due to lack of continuous maintenance, The Iwatobi Music School would have looked like not a day had passed since the day it was closed. The mismatched buildings, mixing the old with the new, were starting to look more presentable, though. If one looked closely, they would see the occasional flicker of movement in the windows, sometimes ending with someone coming up to open them and let fresh air inside. There wasn’t much time left until the ‘grand reopening’, and the flurry of activity would only increase as the deadline for the impromptu festival loomed. The boys, however, faced a different deadline, namely the one for the final submission of entry forms for the competition part of the celebrations.

“Aah! It hasn’t changed one bit!” Nagisa exclaimed as he stretched his arms above his head and waved excitedly at someone in one of the upper windows.

“It looks… smaller, though. I remember it being a lot more… vast?” Makoto admitted sheepishly.

“Nope, Mako-chan. It’s just that you had a growth spurt!”

“That would make sense, Makoto-senpai. Objects from a child’s memory are later in life often recalled as being much grander and larger than their actual real life counterpar—”

“Eeh?! I thought the place was still closed?” Nagisa interrupted Rei by pointing towards the main building’s entrance. True enough, a small group of people, who looked like two pairs of parents with four adolescent children, was just closing the door behind them, small smiles on all of their faces.

“Hmm… Perhaps the front desk is already working, Nagisa. Since they have to accept the applications for the competition somehow? …Speaking of which, are we seriously doing this?! We haven’t even figured out what to play yet, or how!” Makoto was starting to sound increasingly panicked again. It took a while to convince him to join, but he still seemed to have his doubts, and Nagisa was having none of it.

“ _Yes_ , Mako-chan, we absolutely are! You promised, so there’s no going back! We’ll figure the details out later. For now we need to pick up, fill out, and submit the form and figure out where we’ll be meeting for practice. The rest will be a breeze!”

“Nagisaaa... That’s not very reassuring... You know it doesn’t work that way!”

“Nagisa-kun, Makoto-senpai does have a point. We do need to think of these things as soon as possible. How are you so sure to begin with that they will even allow us to submit our entry? Without even such a basic set of information as band composition and type of music?”

“Don’t worry Rei-chan, I’ve got us completely covered!” Nagisa’s grin wasn’t particularly encouraging as he bounded off in the direction of the entrance, but they didn’t have much choice at this point - they had to trust him.

The moment they stepped into the school’s lobby, they noticed the faint smells of fresh paint and floor polish lingering in the air. The place looked spotlessly clean and had definitely been renovated very recently, since even the sparse furniture - a couple of armchairs and a small table in what seemed to be a waiting area - looked new. Nagisa immediately leapt to the side of the hall towards several large glass cases, excitedly beckoning for them to follow. The displays were full of shiny objects shaped like small instruments, engraved medals, and trophy cups. The wall next to the cases was covered floor to ceiling with framed photographs, diplomas, and certificates. Kids of every age smiled and posed on similar backgrounds, most on a stage or in front of it, holding various instruments. Each photograph had a small note underneath, detailing the date it was taken, the award or occasion it was commemorating, and the kids’ names.

“Look!” Nagisa pointed to a row of photographs near the lower middle of the wall. They were consecutive, three for every year and arranged chronologically, and a vast majority of them were…

“It’s Haru-chan!” Nagisa was bouncing with barely concealed glee. “I told you he was brilliant, Rei-chan!”

“I already knew that, Nagisa-kun. Haruka-senpai’s talent is extraordinary.” Rei adjusted the glasses on his nose, but moved closer to examine the records all the same. Every photo of Haruka differed very slightly, only by the change of clothes and perhaps his gradually increasing height, though it was difficult to tell since the photographs’ angles were slightly different each time. It would be hard to mistake the boy in the photos for anyone else, though, since the expression on every single one of them matched the one that was now mirrored on his face - thinly disguised irritation.

“Nagisa.” He snapped behind them grumpily, but schooled his features back to indifference almost immediately.

“What, Haru-chan? It’s not my fault you won almost every violin competition you joined!” Nagisa puffed his cheeks out.

“Hmm... Except the ones in the earlier years?” Rei had gravitated farther to the side, going back in time as it were. “Well that is understandable, you had only just begun learning then... Who is that though? I haven’t seen him in any competitions I have attended.” Rei pointed towards the photos farthest back down the line, at the face of a widely-grinning boy with brightly-coloured hair staring down at them from each one. Behind them, Haru made a small noise in the back of his throat and turned away, wandering off towards the opposite side of the corridor to the announcement board near the waiting area.

“Ah... Sorry about that, Rei.” Makoto interjected, attempting a diplomatic smile. “They... didn’t really get along well, you could say.” Rei simply nodded, deciding not to prod further, figuring it might have something to do with some sort of rivalry, even though he wasn’t entirely sure how anyone would be able to match Haruka-senpai’s skill once he had truly begun to develop it.

“Well look who it is! If it isn’t my worst nightmare, gahaha! What’re you doing here kid!?” A deep voice had rung out behind them, startling everyone but Nagisa, who turned around immediately and threw his arms in the air, as if he was going to hug or tackle whoever it was.

“Goro-chan!!! Long time no see!” Nagisa grinned and settled for grabbing hold of the man’s forearms instead. Rei had no idea what to make of him. His hair would be cut in a fairly standard, if modern, way, if it weren’t for the probable dye job, judging by the fact the colour of his beard didn’t match, and the peculiar star-shaped pattern on the side of his head didn’t, either. His clothes wouldn’t have been out of place on a beach, and the outlandish mix of colours was bad enough to begin with, but it was the alternating palm tree and pineapple pattern that truly felt almost offensive to Rei’s sensibilities. Pineapples did NOT grow on palm trees! Instantly Rei knew: this must have been the person behind the horrifying posters advertising the festival.

“Yeah, it’s been a while, huh? Haven’t seen you at all since the place closed...” The man paused, looking over the three of them, before his gaze fell on Makoto and he guffawed with mirth. “Well I’ll be... Is that you, Makoto?!”

“It’s good to see you too, Sasabe-san!”

“Kid, what have your parents been feeding you since I last saw you?! Back then your head barely reached my elbow! But where’s—” He paused again and looked around, until finally he turned to the other side of the lobby. ”Ah! Haruka! I knew you’d be where this one was!”

Across the hall Haru sighed, tore himself away from the announcement board, and walked back over to rejoin them. He simply nodded to the man and shifted his attention towards the nearest trophy case, and it was immediately obvious this would be all he would do to acknowledge him. Goro didn’t seem to be even slightly miffed by the less-than-warm welcome, though. He merely grinned, as if Haru met his expectations.

“It’s great to see you three again! A lot of the old crowd has been passing through recently. It’s so great to see familiar faces coming back here again. ...Though, you I do not recognize,” he said, pointing at Rei. “You’re not one of mine, are you?”

“If you’re asking whether I used to study music here, then no, I’m not, uh, ‘one of yours’. My name is Ryugazaki Rei, pleased to make your acquaintance.” He responded somewhat stiffly, still unsure what to make of this brightly-coloured person. Sasabe paused, scratching the wisp of a beard on his chin with a look of intense concentration, and finally snapped his fingers.

“Ah! Got it! Piano, right?” Rei blinked, his mouth falling open in shock, while Nagisa let out a burst of laughter at his expression. Even Makoto chuckled softly under his breath.

“How did you... know that?” Rei finally managed to ask.

“You won a fairly high profile competition a few years back. And a few more contests before that, I believe. I have a really good memory and sense for talent!”

“I’m sorry, but I still don’t know who you are.” Rei stammered awkwardly, a blush sneaking high onto his cheeks at being so openly praised and recognized.

“Ah! My bad, forgot only these three here already know me.” He grinned apologetically at Rei briefly as he introduced himself. “Sasabe Goro! Owner of this here fine establishment! Well... co-owner, to be specific.”

“Co-owner indeed.” A pleasingly sweet voice joined them to the side, coming from a classically attractive woman, whose face seemed ageless in that way where you couldn’t tell how old she truly was. She could have been twenty-five, just as well as forty-five, with soft brown hair, and similarly coloured eyes that twinkled with warmth and amity.

“AH!” Sasabe looked truly sheepish now, a slightly dazed expression on his face. “Yes! Boys, this is, in fact, the other co-owner of this place. We are partners. ...BUSINESS!!! Business partners, that is, geheheh!”

“Welcome!” The woman seemed to deliberately ignore the minor slip. “I assume you are Sasabe-san’s former protégés? It’s nice to meet you, my name is—”

“ _Marin-chan_!” The sudden outburst came from the possibly least expected person: Rei. He immediately realised his mistake, since everyone turned to him and stared with varying degrees of surprise, especially the lady in question, and he flushed a bright red colour again. He was about to go off on a panicked apology, when said ‘Marin-chan’ herself started laughing and shaking her head.

“No, no, you are correct of course! It’s just surprising, that’s all. I didn’t think someone so young would recognize me, and by my old stage name, too. I have long since abandoned those days. My name is Amakata Miho, and as Sasabe-san has mentioned already, I am the co-owner of this place.”

“I... still apologize. It was the first thing that came to mind. I grew up knowing of you. My parents were... are fans. They’ll be very envious I met you.” Rei managed to collect himself and bowed a little stiffly, not really knowing what the protocol for ‘meeting your parents’ idol’ was. Everyone else seemed to be more or less at ease, except for Nagisa who was positively vibrating, now that he knew he was meeting a ‘former star’, so Rei tried to calm down a little as well to fit in better. The lady smiled again amicably.

“Well then, you should bring them over to the festival! I will be hosting and announcing for most of the competition. We’ve had a lot of entries and it’s a little overwhelming to be honest. We already had to stretch everything out to two days instead of one. Though I suppose we shouldn’t complain about the interest of course! It’ll be much easier to find talents this way.”

“So it’s true then! The rumours?!” Nagisa’s excitement finally bubbled over, and not even the perplexed looks on Sasabe’s and Amakata’s faces could have stopped him from continuing. “That you’re not just opening the old music school, and that you’ll be expanding to create a proper talent scouting agency?!” Sasabe laughed loudly, putting his fists on his hips.

“Kid, you’ve always been nothing short of a menace! I have no idea where you even got that information from, but... Yeah. We’ll be trying to do that in the future. For now we’re just preparing to get the school up and running. We’ve had to open the front desk a few weeks early. We’re already getting so many inquiries about lessons and schedules and such for after the festival! And—”

Just then, the jingle of wind chimes being stirred by the door opening filled the corridor, and someone entered the building. Sasabe muttered “Speaking of inquiries...” under his breath, and everyone reflexively turned their heads to glance at the disturbance. Two boys, one very tall and in his teens, the other very short and probably an elementary school student, began to make their way towards the lobby looking around with interest.

Haru was the first to make a rather displeased noise, once both of them were close enough to see more of their features, earning him a curious look from Nagisa and Rei. Makoto by comparison immediately beamed.

“ _Kisumi_?! Shigino Kisumi? Is that you?”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have returned from the depths! An incident which completely fried and disabled my laptop, making me lose the entirety of this chapter plus some extra 20k words of future planning for this fic, was the most major setback in the way of getting this chapter out. Rewriting it from scratch was quite a blow. Here's to hoping it won't happen again any time soon. But, we're back on track now! 
> 
> Once again I owe my dearest senpai [Ellerean](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellerean/profile) extraordinary amounts of gratitude for her fantastic beta. 
> 
> Shoutouts go out to [Karratran](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Karratran/profile), & [Maybeillride](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Maybeillride/profile), & and [Daxii](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Daxii/profile) for patiently enduring my endless whining during the laptop fiasco! 
> 
> As usual, find me on Tumblr at [TheGirlOnFandoms](http://TheGirlOnFandoms.tumblr.com) and feel free to bother me about these losers~~


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